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March 8, 2009

Pepsi vs. Pepsi Natural Part 2

I drank my first Pepsi Natural last night, sharing a little with my wife. It was still not quite cold enough for the official taste test so I just enjoyed it. And I did enjoy it.
To be as completely fair in this taste test, I had to pour the Pepsi and Pepsi Natural into cups with 3 piece of ice each. This way the glass bottle would not bias the experience (still does).
The first thing I noticed was the amount of foam the Pepsi Natural created and how long it held. The foam head was so great it took me several minutes to fill the cup and empty the bottle. The color of the foam was also a darker shade of tan with a hint of green.
The next thing I noticed was the lighter color of the Pepsi Natural next to the Pepsi. I'm not sure why this is but PepsiCo did use different ingredients for color in the Pepsi Natural (APPLE EXTRACT (COLOR) and CARMEL COLOR vs just CARMEL COLOR). I also noticed the bubbles on the sides of the glass were more and smaller in the Pepsi Natural. Again listed on the Natural is sparkling water, and on the Pepsi is carbonated water. I'm not sure if this is the reason for the difference but it may be.
Finally the taste test. Really they do have similar characteristics, but the Pepsi Natural is more like a matured Pepsi. Take the familiar sweet taste of Pepsi down just a tad, reduce the sticky acid bite and teeth eating texture of a normal soda, at hints of nuts and coffee, spices, and a lighter bubble and you've got Pepsi Natural. I think I like it. I think it will work if Pepsi keeps it around.